Norse Berserkers and Wolfskins
They might look more at home in epic Norse sagas than in the realms of history, but the famously destructive Berserkers and Wolfskins belong firmly in the latter. These ferocious bear or wolf-pelt clad warriors, who felt no pain and made little differentiation in battle between friend and foe, were thought to be the warriors of Odin. And for the unfortunate coastal inhabitants of Northern Europe during the Early Middle Ages, they were the stuff of nightmares.
More than just setting them apart aesthetically, the animal pelts signified these warriors’ totem animals. The identification was more than just skin deep. They believed they were endowed with the spirit of the animal. This might explain their bloodlust and apparent lack of fear in the midst of battle. It might also go some way in explaining why when berserk they would howl like wolves.
As you might expect from Norsemen, the Berserkers were formidable marine fighters. They would often be stationed at the prow of a ship so they were the first to engage the enemy, like at the naval Battle of Hafrsfjord (c. 872) when Harald Hårfagre used berserkers as his marine shock troops. But they weren’t always so effective as part of a military force on land; stripped of their shields and armor and relying entirely on individual prowess and brute strength, they were infamous for breaking ranks and leaving gaps in the line.
We should be careful to separate the Berserkers themselves from the process of going “berserk.” At the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066, for example, the Danish king Harald Hardada “went berserk”. He wore no armor and abandoned his shield in favor of a longsword. It did him little good though; an arrow pierced his throat early in the battle, denting his men’s morale and contributing to their eventual defeat.
It was a grey area however. Berserkers needed to go berserk (or experience berserkergang as the early English and Danish word calls it) to be at their most effective. And going berserk was physically and emotionally exhausting: not only involving howling and battle frenzy but also biting into shields—something represented on a 12th-century chess piece found on the Outer Hebrides.
Countless theories have been proposed for what exactly it was that sent these Norsemen berserks. Hallucinogenic drugs, alcohol, and even the rubbing of henbane petals onto the body have all been suggested. One of the most popular modern theories however, which draws upon studies in contemporary psychology, is that the trance-like behavior they felt during and debilitating fatigue they felt after can be explained as the effects of post-traumatic stress.